>> david: tonight, breaking news as we come on the air. hurricane helene now intensifying, closing in on florida. potentially a category 4 hurricane when it hits the u.s. ginger zee standing by with the new timing just in. also tonight, the deadly city bus hijacking, a passenger is killed. and a man lunging through the door of a courthouse, setting off an explosion. first tonight, the growing strength of this hurricane set to slam into the u.s., set for a direct hit on florida. multiple states will feel this, and the images coming in already, the storm hitting

cancun on its way here. tonight, florida expecting a major storm surge. mandatory evacuations moving patients from a hospital. whit johnson is there, and ginger zee has the new hurricane forecast just in moments ago. also tonight, an explosion rocking a courthouse. authorities say the suspect lunged through the doors of a california courthouse, throwing a bag with a homemade bomb past the security detector. multiple injuries. some sent to the hospital. the deadly hijacking of a city bus in los angeles. police chasing that hijacked bus for an hour. the driver and passengers held at gunpoint. one passenger was killed, and how this ended. the major escalation tonight in the middle east. the israeli military now signaling a possible ground offensive now into southern lebanon. ian pannell is there. in this country tonight, 41 days now until the election. vice president kamala harris in pennsylvania on the economy. promising tax cuts for the middle class, help for first-time home buyers, a major

deduction for americans starting small businesses. and her argument tonight on manufacturing in this country, and what she says really happened under donald trump. tonight here, trump's response. tonight, u.s. intelligence now confirming they have briefed donald trump on assassination threats coming from iran. trump with a blunt response tonight. there is news this evening after that american woman is believed to be the first person to ever use a so-called suicide pod in switzerland. the arrests, and what the doctor who was there is now saying tonight. in new york city, an amtrak train derailing at penn station. the startling moment a famous rock star's dog is snatched by a coyote. and his wife then racing to save it. and "america strong" tonight. the strangers hiking up a mountain. they struck up a conversation. what they learned. and what one of them then did. it's extraordinary.

>> david: good evening, and we begin tonight here with the breaking news tonight. florida bracing for what could be a major category 4 hurricane. helene is now forecast to make landfall with winds up to 130 miles an hour sometime tomorrow. this storm is massive and growing in strength at this hour. tonight, there are states of emergency now in florida, georgia, and now north carolina and virginia, too. at this hour, helene is a category 1 hurricane, 460 miles south of tampa, growing in strength. parts of florida could see up to a 20-foot storm surge. and torrential rain, up to 18 inches, could stretch all the way to the carolinas. hurricane hunters from noaa flying in the eye of the hurricane. its center you can see now clearly formed. on the ground tonight, helene striking cancun, mexico, with tropical storm force winds and flooding rain already. mandatory evacuations in place for 20 of florida's counties tonight. you can see there the heavy traffic. this is interstate 4 heading out of tampa. ginger zee is standing by with the new forecast just in. the timing and track of this hurricane.

and whit johnson is in florida on the emergency preparations. he leads us off tonight from tampa. >> reporter: tonight, after hammering mexico's yucatan peninsula as a tropical storm, flooding streets and taking down trees in cancun, helene is now a hurricane, gaining strength, on a collision course with florida. interstate 4 packed with vehicles. tallahassee, florida's capital city of more than 200,000 people, directly in the path. chris osmar among many leaving today. >> i got a bad feeling about this one. we've never taken that direct hit. >> if our community remains central in helene's path, as forecasted, we will see unprecedented damage like nothing we have ever experienced before as a community. >> reporter: our victor oquendo, south of tallahassee, found jon turner packing up his waterfront restaurant. taking everything from the food to the furniture. >> being on the water this is a different ballgame, obviously, because you don't know, with the storm surge, what you're going

to come back to, what you're going to lose. >> and with the potential 15 feet of storm surge, your restaurant -- >> yeah, we may have one when we come back, we may not. >> reporter: down the coast, ambulances transferring patients out of low-lying pasadena hospital in st. petersburg. and extreme measures at tampa general hospital, too. this is what's called an aqua fence. a portable barrier that officials hope will help divert floodwater away from the hospital and keep the patients safe. helene expected to knock out power across the state. officials say 18,000 linemen are already staged in high-risk areas, and more are on the way. and david, here in tampa, you can see just how vulnerable some of these communities are, right on the water. they're expecting up to eight feet of storm surge here and up to 20 feet in the big bend area. officials say the time to finalize those evacuation plans and get out is right now. david? >> david: it will look a lot different 24 hours from now. whit johnson, thanks for being there. let's get right to chief meteorologist ginger zee, in treasure island, florida, tonight.

i know the national hurricane center is out with its newest forecast. you've been studying it. what do you see? >> so david, i see that the catastrophic and life-threatening flash flood threat is probably the biggest thing we have to talk about, because it goes well inland. we're talking all the way to western north carolina. we'll explain all that. but right now, the center of helene is more than 440 miles to my southwest from the bay area here. so, it's going to jet north, right now at 12 miles per hour, and rocket right into the eastern panhandle, that big bend of florida, as a category 4. 130-mile-per-hour max sustained winds. do you see how it's still a cat 1 overnight into early friday south of atlanta? that's why we're worried about trees down, and we're talking trees into homes all over georgia and north florida, and also power lines and power outages. macon, georgia, a hurricane warning. tampa bay still in a hurricane watch. and those tropical storm warnings still up from miami to charleston to asheville. and asheville is part of why i want to talk about the rain and

the flash flood threat. but let's first do that big surge that they've upped now on the latest forecast. 10 to 20 feet, that's like two stories of water pushing ahead of the storm, coming right onto land. that will easily take a home off of its foundation, so, crystal river, cedar key involved there, four to eight feet still for tampa bay. the winds will easily be hurricane force all the way nearly to atlanta, so, i think that could impact flights even early on friday morning. and then that significant flash flooding. david, blue ridge mountains, when you have 12 to 18 inches of rain from the last couple of days and helene, not going to be good. >> david: so many states in the path of this. ginger zee, we are glad you're there, as well. please, you and the crew, stay safe, and we'll watch first thing in the morning on "gma." thank you. in the meantime, we're following a terrifying scene in a california courthouse. a man lunging through the doors, setting off an explosion. this played out in santa maria, california. authorities say the suspect throwing a bag with a homemade bomb right into the courthouse. multiple people injured. some sent to the hospital. melissa adan tonight from california. >> reporter: the blast rocking

this courthouse in santa maria, california, just before 9:00 a.m. fire trucks racing to the scene. >> this was a small fire. there's no spread into the structure. >> reporter: courthouse officials tell abc news a man lunged into the courthouse doors, then tossed a small bag past the weapons screening station. an ied inside exploding, sending six people to the hospital. shane mellon was in one of the courtrooms. >> we were sitting in the courtroom, and i heard an extremely loud bang. and the bailiff inside of the courtroom went and tried to see what was going on. >> reporter: that bailiff sending the judge into his chambers and evacuating others from the building. >> there was some sweater or something sitting there smoldering, and someone screaming. four, five individuals trying to restrain that guy. >> reporter: officials say the suspect tried to run to his car but was chased by a guard and taken into custody. today, law enforcement seen

swarming his neighborhood. david, many people may recognize that courthouse as the one where michael jackson stood trial years ago. meantime, police closing off that area and searching for any other possible explosives. david? >> david: abc's melissa adan with us. melissa, thank you. to another disturbing scene playing out in california, the deadly hijacking of a los angeles city bus. a suspect holding the driver and passengers at gunpoint, killing one of the passengers. matt gutman from los angeles tonight. >> reporter: tonight, this dramatic video showing that hijacked metro bus. this slow-speed chase through the heart of los angeles. dozens of police cruisers in pursuit. the driver and several passengers held at gunpoint. the front of the bus seen flashing the message -- emergency 911 call police. >> there's a man with a gun inside. possible hostage. >> reporter: just before 1:00 a.m. this morning, authorities alerted to the hijacking. but as they tried to engage, the bus rolled away and that pursuit began. >> we have units in pursuit.

>> reporter: officers seen throwing spike strips to puncture the bus' tires. finally, the bus brought to a halt. s.w.a.t. teams swarming. a stun grenade deployed. the bus driver then rescued through the window. >> the bus driver is unharmed. the second passenger that was found on the bus who had self-barricaded in the back of the bus, they were shaken but unharmed. >> reporter: officers finding one of the passengers on the bus suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. he later died from his injuries. david, the suspect was taken in without incident and booked on suspicion of murder. the lapd says it's still investigating the motive behind this alleged hijacking. david? >> david: just an extraordinary scene playing out. matt, thank you. overseas tonight, the israeli military now signaling a possible ground offensive into southern lebanon after hezbollah fired a ballistic missile as far into israel as tel aviv, israel intercepting it. ian pannell from beirut again tonight.

>> reporter: tonight, israel's air assault on lebanon not letting up. and now, the country's military chief telling troops to prepare for a possible ground incursion. a senior u.s. official telling abc news hezbollah launching this surface to surface missile toward tel aviv, only making israel more determined to send in ground forces. israel's "david's sling" air defense system intercepting the threat. the first time hezbollah has fired a weapon this big so deep into israel. today, israel calling up as many as 6,000 more troops to the northern border with lebanon. lieutenant general herzi halevi telling troops, "military boots will enter enemy territory." verified videos showing deadly israeli air strikes in the south of lebanon again. our marcus moore visiting a hospital here in beirut running out of beds, where they're now building a makeshift patient ward and bomb shelter. >> we are beneath the parking garage here at the hospital.

they are essentially preparing for the worst. but they hope they don't need this. >> reporter: president biden on "the view" today, hoping a diplomatic solution can prevent this conflict from spiraling out of control. >> an all-out war is possible, but i think there's also the opportunity -- we're still in play to have a settlement that can fundamentally change the whole region. >> reporter: david, the u.s. in active discussions to try to secure a cease-fire between israel and hezbollah, according to a senior u.s. official. but an israeli official telling us that the attack on tel aviv won't go unanswered, and that some kind of ground invasion is inevitable. david? >> david: ian pannell in beirut, ian, thank you. back in the u.s. tonight, 41 days now until the election. vice president kamala harris is in the must-win state of pennsylvania, on the economy tonight. harris today promising tax cuts for the middle class, help for first-time homebuyers, a major tax deduction for americans starting small businesses. and tonight, harris and her argument on manufacturing in this country. what she says really happened

under donald trump. tonight, the former president's response. mary bruce in pittsburgh. >> reporter: tonight, in must-win pennsylvania, vice president kamala harris drilling down on the issue that could determine this race -- the economy. outlining her plan to create what she calls an opportunity economy. describing her approach as pragmatic and a new way forward for the middle class. >> look, i'm a capitalist. i believe in free and fair markets. and i believe companies need to play by the rules. respect the rights of workers and unions. and abide by fair competition. >> reporter: harris well aware that voters favor donald trump on the economy, though polls show she's closing the gap. today, pitting her vision directly against his, she argued the former president is looking out for his wealthy friends, not working americans. >> you see, for donald trump,

our economy works best if it works for those who own the big skyscrapers, not those who actually build them. not those who wire them. not those who mop the floors. >> reporter: harris pledging to cut taxes for 100 million americans. boost small businesses by increasing the startup deduction from $5,000 to $50,000. help first-time homebuyers with downpayment assistance. and invest in manufacturing, where she says the trump administration fell far short. >> all told, almost 200,000 manufacturing jobs were lost during his presidency, starting before the pandemic hit, making trump one of the biggest losers ever on manufacturing.

>> reporter: trump today saying the vice president had four years to help the middle class, and she didn't. >> kamala goes to work every day in the white house. families are suffering now, so if she has a plan, she should stop grandstanding and do it. just do it. >> reporter: now, the economy is the top priority for voters, and both campaigns have been hammering the issue all week. and while donald trump has had the advantage, polls do show kamala harris is gaining ground. david? >> david: mary bruce with us. thanks, mary. tonight, u.s. intelligence now confirming they have briefed donald trump on assassination threats coming from iran. pierre thomas on that tonight. >> reporter: tonight, top intelligence officials warning former president trump that he's an ongoing target for assassination by iran. trump given that blunt assessment during a briefing on tuesday. tonight, responding. >> if i were the president, i would inform the threatening country -- in this case, iran -- that if you do anything to harm

this person, we are going to blow your largest cities and the country itself to smithereens. >> reporter: that briefing follows the recent arrest of a pakistani man with alleged ties to iran who the fbi says was plotting to hire a hitman to kill trump. it comes as a blistering new bipartisan senate report on the first attempt on trump's life in butler, pennsylvania, said there was credible intelligence of a threat against the former president. senators calling the secret service failures preventable. >> there has to be someone in charge, there was nobody in charge. >> reporter: the report says secret service agents were "notified of a suspicious person with a rangefinder" 27 minutes before the first shots, a full seven minutes earlier than first reported. and "approximately two minutes" before the shooting, the secret service command center "was told there was an individual on the roof" of a nearby building, but failed to communicate the threat to trump's security detail. and david, the secret service says it's working hard to keep both former president trump and

vice president harris safe in the final weeks before the election. and a chilling new warning tonight, after senators received a classified briefing on foreign election threats today. senator warner saying the days after the election, as votes are being counted, could be the most challenging time with foreign enemies trying to interfere, david. >> david: these are very tense times, indeed. pierre, thank you. when we come back tonight, the american woman believed to be the first person to ever use a so-called suicide pod. now, the arrests, and what the doctor who was there is now saying tonight. and in new york city, an amtrak train derailing at penn station. hings you love. some things should stand the test of time. long-lasting eylea hd could significantly improve your vision. more people on eylea hd had no fluid in the retina, compared to those on eylea at 4 months. eylea hd is the only wet amd therapy that helped 8 out of 10 people go up to 4 months between injections,

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rsv? make it arexvy. ♪ >> david: finally tonight, two strangers and one extraordinary gift. "america strong." tonight, in provo, utah, south of salt lake city, one remarkable gift and forever bond that all began on a hiking trail. krissy miller and schiller joseph did not know each other when they met on the wide mountain hiking trail. he revealed to her along the way that he had lupus and had been on dialysis for three years and was in dire need of a kidney. without hesitating, krissy, a total stranger, told him she would donate. she went through several tests and was told she was a solid match, almost as if they were

siblings. both right there at the hospital, intermountain medical center, the surgery was a success. krissy's neighborhood welcoming her home with signs, "we love krissy" and "you're my hero." the medical team checking in with us tonight. >> hi, david. >> david: dr. donald morris, medical transplant director. >> krissy is a true hero. we've been very fortunate to have people like krissy step forward. >> david: telling us both are recovering well. and look at this. those two hikers back on the trail tonight. >> hi, david. >> david: krissy and schiller hiking together again, just today. >> we feel great. i feel great. >> david: both telling us tonight they are grateful for their new bond and their forever friendship. >> we're going to continue to be lifelong friends. without her, this wouldn't happen. >> we've been apart of a modern day miracle. >> yes, it is. thank you so much. >> david: thank you. krissy and schiller, hiking again, and reminding us all of the power of kindness and the remarkable bonds all over this country. i'll see you tomorrow night. good night.

a murder case from almost a decade ago. >> plus, what we invest today will really equal a lot of generational change. >> building a better bay area for generations to come. spaces like this are making a difference in the south bay. >> we are inching our way closer and closer to what will be the last night game for the oakland a's here at the coliseum. the story next. >> always live abc seven news starts right now. >> i want justice for heather. i

don't want a plea bargain. this man admitted more than one crime, and i think he should have to pay. >> the father of a cyclist killed in a hit and run in golden gate park eight years ago, is upset that the murder case is dragging on. but even more so that a judge is negotiating a plea deal with the defendant to avoid a jury trial. good evening, i'm dion lim. and i'm dan ashley. >> thanks for joining us here. the abc seven news i-team is combing through the latest court filings. and dan noyes is here with a story that is new for you at 6:00. dan. well, dan. >> diana, this is the same judge whose actions we questioned last month in the case of a serial auto burglar who injured police trying to get away. june 22nd, 2016 was a beautiful evening in golden gate park. people out walking and riding their bikes, according to the court file, 19 year old nicky garcia and a friend broke into a car at about 6 p.m, stole a backpack and drove away in his girlfriend's honda fit. witnesses say he blew through stop signs and